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Garden Gate:  This yard might kill me yet  |
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Alee
True Blue Farmgirl
22941 Posts
Alee
Worland
Wy
USA
22941 Posts |
 Posted - May 18 2009 : 1:07:47 PM
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I have been out in the yard every day pulling and digging up weeds. I am getting on average 2-3 huge armloads of weeds. Like so big of armfuls that I can't see my feet and I drop a few taking them to the compost heap. Usually the pile I dig and pull is bigger than Nora! I mowed most of the lawn today before I needed to take a little break and the grass clippings were practically white with dandelion seeds.
Everywhere I look there is more work to be done and garbage everywhere from previous tenants. I can tell that I can put a couple hours in every day and it will take this whole year to get it in decent shape for next year!
Anyone else every move into a new house and have almost more work than you can handle just to get the yard into decent shape?
The good news is one of the areas that was completely over run with weeds is now going to be my watermelon patch- either that or cabbage as I just realized there is a sunny patch on the other side of the swing set that is just a huge weed patch right now that would be perfect for the watermelon...
Alee
Farmgirl Sister #8
www.awarmheart.com
www.farmgirlalee.blogspot.com
www.allergyjourneys.blogspot.com
Put your pin on the farmgirl map! www.farmgirlmap.blogspot.com |
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Especially For You
True Blue Farmgirl
541 Posts
Tina
Watkinsville
GA
541 Posts |
Posted - May 18 2009 : 1:57:15 PM
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Alee,
When my husband and I got married Aug 10,2002. I moved in the house he and his Father built in 1978. He and his ex-wife lived here till 1999 when they got divorced. So.... I cleaned stuff out like you can't imagin. There was med bottles from 1987. and not to mention some of her clothes were still here and just all around junk. I shook this house up!!!! But know it just has my and my husvans junk in it.lol so, yes I know kindof what you are going through.
Hugs,
Tina |
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Alee
True Blue Farmgirl
22941 Posts
Alee
Worland
Wy
USA
22941 Posts |
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Especially For You
True Blue Farmgirl
541 Posts
Tina
Watkinsville
GA
541 Posts |
Posted - May 18 2009 : 3:05:29 PM
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No can you imagine my husband was living in this mess. It just doesn't bother him. It drives me crazy!!
Tina |
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Alee
True Blue Farmgirl
22941 Posts
Alee
Worland
Wy
USA
22941 Posts |
Posted - May 18 2009 : 3:37:38 PM
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I feel for you Tina!!
I just finished mowing the back and the driveway. There are as many weeds growing in the gravel driveway as there are in the yard! You can't even tell it's gravel anymore when you stand on the street! Then I had to come in and take a shower cause I just felt all sweaty and gross! I think I found where I am going to plant my lavender though. Away from the bedroom window because Doug hates the smell, but in front of the garage where it is nice and hot and sunny.
I also dug more weeds away from the sidewalk. There are places where you can't even see the cement because of the weeds.
Alee
Farmgirl Sister #8
www.awarmheart.com
www.farmgirlalee.blogspot.com
www.allergyjourneys.blogspot.com
Put your pin on the farmgirl map! www.farmgirlmap.blogspot.com |
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farmgrlchick
True Blue Farmgirl
439 Posts
Theresa
Columbus
Montana
USA
439 Posts |
Posted - May 18 2009 : 3:40:11 PM
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Alee! we need to get together, soon! Now that the weather is nicer. Do you still have my #? I tried to call you and couldn't get through.
Farmgirl Blessings,
Theresa
http://theresaslavenderbox.blogspot.com/ |
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Alee
True Blue Farmgirl
22941 Posts
Alee
Worland
Wy
USA
22941 Posts |
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Lanna
True Blue Farmgirl
330 Posts
Lanna
A little town in Idaho
330 Posts |
Posted - May 19 2009 : 3:35:42 PM
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We moved into this house 5.5 years ago. We're still working on it. We kept having babies, and while I can do the homebirth thing just groovy, I can't do as much weeding or harvesting with a newborn. Doesn't help that I keep turning more and more yard into garden, but still.
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Lanna, mama to three little monkeys |
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asnedecor
True Blue Farmgirl
1054 Posts
Anne
Portland
Or
USA
1054 Posts |
Posted - May 20 2009 : 06:52:41 AM
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Girls I feel your pain. We moved into our fixer upper about 13 years ago. The local church owned it and they did nothing to the house over the 50+ years they owned it. The yard was just grass, some old rotten apple trees and weeds. In the front next to our driveway was a huge pile of dirt (size of a car) that they left from scrapping dirt from around the house, I guess. That first spring, DH and I spend a few weekends moving all that dirt to the back where our veggie garden is today. Underneath all the dirt was cement blocks, old wood, junk. Every year I do more to the yard. I have put in flower beds, we have built a tool shed, cut down old rotten trees, but in raised beds for the veggies, spread mulch, etc. That is just outside. The house is 97 years old so there is all the work inside as well. New electrical we put in, tore down walls, plastered, painted and we are still not done. But as we complete each project I feel a great sense of accomplishment.
Anne in Portland, OR
"Weeds are flowers too, once you get to know them" Eyeore from Winnie the Pooh
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Alee
True Blue Farmgirl
22941 Posts
Alee
Worland
Wy
USA
22941 Posts |
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goneriding
True Blue Farmgirl
1599 Posts
Winona
Central Oregon
USA
1599 Posts |
Posted - May 20 2009 : 08:39:02 AM
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Good grief!! We just moved to a house in the country on a ranch and the previous tenants let the place go to pot. The ranch had the house remodeled, thank goodness, but we've been 'doing' the yard and what a job!! We have pruned and cut and mowed and dug and planted and...and...and... I've hauled morse stuff to the burn pile and it's a good thing I have a full sized pickup cuz it's full every load. There is a load in the p/u bed right now for the dump.
Now we only have a 75 ft. DEAD cottonwood tree in the yard that needs to come down...I don't know how we'll do it but it's rotting at the base and we certainly don't want it to fall on the house. My hubs cut down one tree and we used it for firewood. Already dried out, that's how long it had been dead!!
Winona :-)
To read funny stories about my cooking 'skills', please visit http://lostadventuresincooking.blogspot.com/
For uber-opinionated, pleasurable horse related reading, please visit http://horseinfoperson.blogspot.com/
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Alee
True Blue Farmgirl
22941 Posts
Alee
Worland
Wy
USA
22941 Posts |
Posted - May 20 2009 : 12:37:04 PM
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I dug up the area where I think I am going to sow my Lavender seeds. It was completely full of bindweed and common mallow- Number one and three on my top 5 most despised weeds! The only thing I hate more is burdock which is trying to grow by my front step! I don't mind dandelions in moderation but the sea of them in the back yard is a bit much. I am almost at wits end trying to take care of these beasts. I might have to resort to come chemicals to get the place under control and then go natural again from here on out.
Alee
Farmgirl Sister #8
www.awarmheart.com
www.farmgirlalee.blogspot.com
www.allergyjourneys.blogspot.com
Put your pin on the farmgirl map! www.farmgirlmap.blogspot.com |
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asnedecor
True Blue Farmgirl
1054 Posts
Anne
Portland
Or
USA
1054 Posts |
Posted - May 21 2009 : 06:46:41 AM
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Alee -
The realestate people always say to purchase the uglest house on the street becuase you will have no where to go but up in value. I know we did that and it has paid off. We are lucky that we are not in an "upside down" mortgage like so many people are. Even with the housing prices dropping, our house is still worth more then what we paid. That is a nice feeling. In a year or so from now you will be so proud of what you have accomplished and know that you did it. I always beam with pride when I get compliments on our yard, because I know it was all DH and I and we feel we have done a pretty good job for really not knowing what we were doing in the beginning.
Anne in Portland, OR
"Weeds are flowers too, once you get to know them" Eyeore from Winnie the Pooh
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Alee
True Blue Farmgirl
22941 Posts
Alee
Worland
Wy
USA
22941 Posts |
Posted - May 21 2009 : 07:48:29 AM
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Anne- Yes, I am sure next spring the yard will fill me full of pride. Doug (my husband)'s dad is coming this weekend to look at the lawn. I don't think he believes me when I tell me how weedy it is. There are some back there that are noxious weeds I think- so we have to hurry and get it under control before the city starts sending us notices!
Alee
Farmgirl Sister #8
www.awarmheart.com
www.farmgirlalee.blogspot.com
www.allergyjourneys.blogspot.com
Put your pin on the farmgirl map! www.farmgirlmap.blogspot.com |
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countrykatgirly
True Blue Farmgirl
186 Posts
Hallie
Jordan
NY
USA
186 Posts |
Posted - May 31 2009 : 07:14:19 AM
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I feel you. Apparently this place had stood empty for two years. My yard is more weeds than grass and the entire paver patio and walkway is weeds. Ick.
“It is the sweet, simple things of life which are the real ones after all.”
--Laura Ingalls Wilder |
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Bellepepper
True Blue Farmgirl
1207 Posts
Belle
Coffeyville
KS
USA
1207 Posts |
Posted - May 31 2009 : 12:14:32 PM
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| Our 2 acre yard is all weeds or native grass, which ever you want to call it. We put our house in the middle of a cow pasture almost 40 years ago and did not plant grass, just started mowing. Spent all of those years making flower beds and gardens. Now I am trying to cut back because it is more than I can handle. Last year I let one of the gardens go to weeds and just kept it mowed. This year I tilled it up and made a berry patch. planted blue, rasp and black berries. Like that wasn't going to be as much work. We made 2 big mistakes, planted bamboo too close to the house and flower beds and made a big water garden. Nothing is more work and expensive than a water garden. And you can't even swim in it! |
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JessieMae
True Blue Farmgirl
702 Posts
Jessie
Raleigh
North Carolina
USA
702 Posts |
Posted - May 31 2009 : 12:44:38 PM
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You all are kindred spirits. We bought our 89 year-old house in 2006 and have been working on the yard ever since. The front yard is so full of recurring sinkholes I nearly break my ankles every time I mow. The shrubs in the front grow like weeds and are full of yellowjacket nests, so trimming them is playing Russian roulette with your life. The brick porch and walk crumbled the first winter we were here, and there are these half-dead, scrawny pine trees along one side that I'm terrified will burst into flames and burn our house up. The back yard has a rock garden that is overgrown with wild violets, which are so pretty until they completely take over. Our Corgi once got lost in the wild tangle of leaves and I had to hoe him out - literally. I followed MaryJane's Lifebook advice and bought weed cloth to lay down. It's doing a good job so far of keeping them out! (Oh, and the old owners apparently took the leftover rock garden rocks and buried them. Nearly every week I run over a previously undiscovered rock and ding my mower blade!)
Jessie Mae
Farmgirl Sisterhood #134 |
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asnedecor
True Blue Farmgirl
1054 Posts
Anne
Portland
Or
USA
1054 Posts |
Posted - Jun 01 2009 : 06:54:36 AM
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I have my one small victory this weekend. I got my large perennial flower bed completely weeded. I can now enjoy the flowers that are starting to come up and bloom. I can see the bird bath and the lavender and peonies. My husband can now see the edge of the lawn and the flower bed so when he mows, he mows grass not flowers. I still have much weeding to do up in the front yard and along the east side of our house - but this is my one small triumph against the weeds.
Anne in Portland, OR
"Weeds are flowers too, once you get to know them" Eyeore from Winnie the Pooh
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Bellepepper
True Blue Farmgirl
1207 Posts
Belle
Coffeyville
KS
USA
1207 Posts |
Posted - Jun 01 2009 : 4:57:27 PM
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| My victory this week was that my Granddaughter and I got the water garden cleaned out. We had to pump out the water until it got down to mostly mud then we had to bail. Then we had to stop because we came across a water snake and she wouldn't get back in the pond. We finally got it all cleaned and washed the liner and bailed out that water then put the water lilies back in and started filling it with fresh water. We got out all the filter stuff today and will get it hooked up tomorrow. Hopefully before the alge starts to grow. Way too much work but sure is pretty when it is clean. |
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Garden Gate: This yard might kill me yet |
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This yard might kill me yet
